Bolt Ace Elf or Halfing Warslinger?

[VoodistMonk]

I am looking for an inventive ranged build that doesn't involve an Orc HornBow. Lol.

Right now I am looking at an Elf with their Crossbow Training alternative racial feature, allowing them to reload a Heavy Dwarven PelletBow as a free action without Rapid Reload. Proficiency for the PelletBow is taken care of by Bolt Ace, which also supplies a masterwork Heavy Dwarven PelletBow at level 1.

20pt buy (with racials):
11,17,12,12,15,10
Level 4 stat bump brings Dex to 18.

Level 5 Crossbow Training bumps up your crit multiplier, for a 19-20/×4. And at this point you can have Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, and Weapon Focus...

Those feats are the prerequisites for Snap Shot, and Overwatch Style/Tactician/Vortex... would want to pick up Weapon Trick to expand what you can do with readied actions... Far Shot for Weapon Trick (and the range of the PelletBow sucks)... Improved Critical to have a 17-20/×4 ranged bludgeoning weapon, because it's hilarious.

The other option I am considering is a Halfling with the Warslinger alternative racial feature, Weapon Master Fighter, Slipslinger Style...

20pt buy (w/ racials):
12,17,14,10,14,10

This build is "online" at level 3 with Arc Slinger, Point Blank Shot, Slipslinger Style, and Weapon Focus.

I have played an Elf before, but the only Small race I have any experience with is Kobolds. And the Kobold I played is probably my favorite character ever... so the Halfling Warslinger build is appealing.

Overwatch Style is something I have wanted to mess with, and I feel pretty good about the Elf Bolt Ace as an effective build into Overwatch Votex, with Weapon Trick further opening up options for readied attacks. I may just have to save that for a Flame Warden-Toxophilite Ranger sometime later, though.

So, Elf Bolt Ace or Halfling Warslinger... which just seems more fun to you, and why?

[avr]

I think you can do more interesting stuff with a weapon master fighter than a bolt ace gunslinger. It comes down to advanced weapon training, mainly, though slipslinger grenadier/bombardment could be useful too.

[*Khan*]

What do you do after 5 levels of Bolt Ace with the Pelletbow?
Warpriest with air blessing and Sacred weapon d6? Perhaps forget til heavy pelletbow and just go with the "light" one as the sacred weapon upgrades the dm. die that way you don't need the crossbow training racial feature. The air blessing is also nice as it negates range penalties.

[Mark Hoover 330]

I'd second the halfling warpriest version of this build. Halflings have an alternate favored class bonus with Warpriest that their sacred weapon damage goes up faster than standard warpriest; you could be looking at new damage dice every 4 levels instead of every 5.

Warpriests get a lot of nice things to make up for bonus feats every 3 levels and 3/4 BAB. Fervor plus the Fate's Favored trait means you're using a Swift action at level 2 to give yourself 1 minute of +2 attack/damage.

A Halfling warpriest by level 8 has 6 feats and Weapon Focus as a bonus feat. They're attacking with a sling that deals base 1d8 damage per attack. If you decide to go the Slipslinger route, that's only enough room for Point Blank, Precise, Slipslinger Style/Grenadier/Bombardment, Quick Draw and Throw Anything, so no Arc Slinger and no Rapid Shot. Still, that's 2 shots in a Full Attack that deal 1d8 plus 1d6 energy plus whatever other damage riders you can drop in.

The challenge with Rapid Shot builds is always making sure you don't sacrifice too much accuracy. A warpriest by level 8, Fate's Favored/Fervor/Divine Favor on their Swift action, at WBL and with the feats Weapon Focus, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Halfling Slinger, Arc Slinger and Weapon Specialization instead could be making 3 attacks/round with a +2 weapon, Dex and Str belt +2, for +18/+18/+13 (1d8 +12 Bludgeoning).

That's a halfling with a sling potentially dropping 49.5 avg damage in a Full Attack round by level 8.

All of that, not to mention 2 Blessings, other spells/day, not to mention that by level 8 you've also got a few rounds of Sacred Weapon +2 where you could be dropping an extra +1 Shock or something on your sling, if needed. If you're facing off against CR 8 creatures not immune to Cold damage, on round 2 you could be making 3 shots at +19/+19/+14 and adding potentially another 13.5 damage to your total. In 2 rounds this PC could, potentially, unleash 112.5 damage.

Considering the average CR 8 monster has an AC of 21 and 100 HP, that means over the course of 2 rounds it is very likely that little David just slew Goliath.

Now, if you instead wanted to go with a switch hitter build, I'd suggest instead taking a 3 level dip into Hunter and spending a feat on Boon Companion. Also look at Teamwork Feats such as Broken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunists. It would mean you're doing less damage on your ranged attacks but by level 8 a level 7 AC could be dealing significant damage in melee, not to mention that once you get into melee your slingstaff is dealing 1d8 base damage, you only have to pay once for Enhancements and with Outflank and Pack Flanking you and the AC are a ridiculous +4 to attack from Flanking and if trading off AoOs you're both at +8 instead!

Not to mention, again, the spells and abilities you'd get from 3 levels of Hunter! Suffice it to say that a halfling warpriest or warpriest/hunter with a sling or slingstaff can deliver quite a punch.

[VoodistMonk]

Arsenal Chaplain Warpriest or Sohei Monk are considerations for both builds. I haven't really decided, yet.

Khan, the PelletBow build would pursue Overwatch Vortex and Weapon Trick... I have been wanting to mess around with Overwatch Style, and a 17-20/×4 bludgeoning crossbow seems as good as anything. Lol.

AVR and Mark, the Halfling Warslinger could also switch some stats around to better work as a Grenadier Alchemist... if that might work a little better. Obviously still starting with 3-4 levels of Weapon Master Fighter.